I’m here, I’m here. Busy. Also there’s the pesky job, Facebook, PTO, and 2nd grade math homework. Back to the fun with kids:

I need to get this down before my kids stop doing it and it disappears from my memory. They have two topics they discuss in back of the white minivan: Cook Crabs and the Nose Mall.

You see, each time you leave the highway on an exit with a “2” in it, you’re headed for the Nose Mall. If you’re lucky, you have Lily and Dawit in the car to help navigate such a perilous situation. It requires special clothing, food, and a decontamination after you escape. There are hours of details invented and remembered and built upon.

Then there are the Cook Crabs. They are creatures that live in our walls, and travel on various errands with us in my bags. They are also able to teleport via baby-changing stations in public restrooms. It’s unclear if they pose any danger, Lily and Dawit are usually gleeful that they are around, but sometimes try to stomp them.

I’ve taken to simply playing along–they both laugh like hyenas when I ask them about the Cook Crabs at school. Apparently Cook Crabs don’t go to school. Who knew?